French policemen accused of raping Canadian woman

Four French police officers accused of raping a Canadian woman at their Paris headquarters after a drunken night out went before a judge Saturday, where one admitted to having “consensual sexual relations” with the plaintiff.

The four men, who were not on duty at the time of the alleged assault, were placed in custody on Thursday. The judge is expected to order them remanded to prison pending trial.

They are accused of raping a 34-year-old Canadian woman after meeting her in a Paris pub on Tuesday.

The policemen were detained following a complaint filed by the woman, described by French daily Le Figaro as “the daughter of a Canadian police officer and possibly an officer herself”.

One of the accused changes story

The officers initially refuted all claims of sexual relations with the woman, but one officer admitted Saturday before the judge that he had, indeed, had “consensual sexual relations” with her.

According to sources close to the investigation, the woman met the police officers in an Irish pub in Paris’s 5th arrondissement, close to the “36 quai des Orfèvres”, as the HQ of Paris’s criminal police is commonly known.

French media say the woman agreed to follow the policemen to their offices, where she claims she was raped.

According to French law, the four men can be held for 48 hours, after which they will be either released or brought before an investigative judge.

A police source quoted by Le Figaro said it was "too early to know exactly what happened" and that the suspects' detention was "inevitable in such sensitive cases when civil servants are involved".